Moments
by Ashvolt
Summary: It is often the short, silly, and most unremarkable moments in life that we remember. A series of moments between Jade and Guy. *friendship only*
1. Collecting Data

Moments

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, shape or form.

_**1. Collecting Data**_

Guy studied the small recorder in front of him. The wires all seemed to be going to the correct places, the power base was set, the fans had no trouble spinning, and the input data source seemed to be interpreting correctly. On first glance, it appeared the new invention from Sheridan was working, but according to Jade, it had suddenly died. Frowning, he fiddled with some of the wires, making sure they were properly connected.

"Well?" Jade asked, eyebrows raised as he watched from several feet back.

"I'm not sure," he admitted distractedly, giving up on the wires and carefully removing a drive. "Everything seems fine. It just kind of… gave up? Did it make any noises?"

"Nothing worth noting," Jade said, stepping forward and peering coolly into the machine from beside Guy.

The colonel was very close, their shoulders just barely brushing against each other. Guy found it oddly distracting. It wasn't that it bothered Guy, or he wanted to scramble away. He was simply… aware.

His finger caught on a piece of metal studded with sharp data nodes and he winced as he felt it cut into the skin, resisting the urge to jerk away. Grimacing, he was distracted from the injury by the sight of a small band hidden behind the drive.

"Ah! There it is. A belt just came loose." It only took a moment to snap the tiny belt back in place. Smiling triumphantly, he replaced the drive and the side panel. "There we go. It should work now."

Without a word, Jade reached up and grabbed Guy's hand, inspecting the small red line on the tip of his pointer finger. "Hmm… not too bad," he murmured.

"It's just a papercut," Guy muttered, embarrassed, although he wasn't quite sure why. "Don't worry about it." He tugged lightly at his hand, and was relieved when Jade let go.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow," Jade said, voice businesslike. "I have a list of books for you to pull, as well as a number of reports to organize and file with Peony."

"Tomorrow," Guy nodded, backing towards the door.

Jade finally allowed himself a small smirk as the boy left, pushing up his glasses with his finger as he listened to Guy's hurried footsteps retreating from the military base.


	2. Sorting

Moments

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, shape or form.

_**2. Sorting**_

Guy was sorting through a two-foot stack of reports and documents in Jade's office. It was boring, tedious work – they needed to be sorted first by the type of report, then by date, and finally by name. The papers were quickly coming to dominate every surface of the room – Jade's desk, a table, the floor – as he attempted to keep it all organized. But it didn't take much concentration, so he found his mind wandering. "Hey, Jade."

"Mm?" Jade was keeping to his chair, reading through a thick, leather-bound book and occasionally taking notes on a pad of paper in his lap (since his desk was otherwise occupied).

"What kind of strategies do you use in large-scale warfare?" Guy asked, still sorting.

Jade looked up. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Just simple curiosity," he shrugged, laying down a few more papers, "I know about fighting opponents alone or in small groups, but I've never actually had to fight in a large-scale war."

Jade considered him for a moment before turning back to his book and flipping a page. Without looking up, he said, "I'm sure there are many books in the military library you could borrow."

Guy sighed. "I'm just bored, that's all. Nevermind." Honestly, asking Jade anything was impossible; he shouldn't have even tried.

"Is it that tedious, then?" Jade asked lightly.

"I've done worse, but it's not exactly fun sorting through all this," Guy said, voice mild as he bent over to place another few pieces of paper.

"Oh?" Jade flicked his eyes back up. "Such as?"

Guy shrugged. "Once, I ended up washing Luke's clothes when he rolled in the mud after a rainstorm, then jumped in a barrel of rotten food and smeared it all over himself." He chuckled. "The maids refused to touch it, and I didn't want to bring it up to the Duke, so I washed it myself. It was absolutely disgusting."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "So he got away with it?"

Guy paused, considering the question. Wryly, he was forced to admit, "I guess so."

"Hmm… that explains much about his personality," Jade murmured, sounding amused.

"What would you have done?"

"Probably… I would have made Luke wash those clothes personally, not to mention all the other clothes in the house… for a month or so."

Guy stood back up, staring at Jade incredulously. "Isn't that a bit much?"

"I doubt he'd ever do it again, so no," he said, shrugging carelessly.

Guy stooped over his piles again, shaking his head and laughing under his breath. "I feel sorry for any children you have."

"Then it's a good thing I don't intend to have children." Jade stood up and crouched in front of Guy, feet carefully placed between piles on the floor. While Guy was still trying to figure out what he was up to, Jade took roughly half of the stack from Guy's hands.

Guy could only stare dumbly for a minute while Jade calmly started placing reports. "Um… ?"

Jade spread his hands, papers ruffling as he moved and sighed in a very put-upon way. "I might as well help, since you won't let me read my book. These old bones should be able to handle it for a little while."

Guy smiled, rubbing the back of his head with the hand not currently holding the paper. "Thanks."

Jade's smirk twisted, his red eyes catching and holding his. "Oh, I never said it was for free."

Wondering why his cheeks suddenly became warm, Guy just sighed and went back to sorting.


	3. Waking Up

Moments

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, shape or form.

_**3. Waking Up**_

Guy woke up slowly, his mind still pleasantly drifting. He might have gone back to sleep entirely, except the position he was in wasn't particularly comfortable – slumped over the table in Jade's office, his head pillowed on his arms. The side of the table was digging into Guy's ribs and his arms were starting to protest. Halfway between sleep and true wakefulness, though, it was easy to ignore.

_Just a few more minutes, then I'll get back up, _he promised himself lazily, shifting slightly and almost knocking over the remains of a midnight snack.

Jade was presenting a research paper about fomicry the next day, his first step in "reclaiming fomicry," as Jade put it. Researchers from Belkend, engineers from Sheridan, and other noted specialists from all over the world were gathering to hear Jade speak. It promised to be a major turning point.

Jade had been steadily preparing for it all along, but the night before still proved to be a scramble for last-minute facts and figures. Guy, who'd volunteered to help out, found himself running back and forth between Jade's office and the library whenever Jade recalled books he needed, or looking up facts as Jade reconfirmed and added to the figures in his paper, or tracking down servants to deliver periodic tea and snacks.

Things were beginning to slow down when Guy rest his head on the desk. He promised himself he would just let his eyes relax for a moment, since they'd had trouble keeping open after about three in the morning. Just enough to take the strain off… Jade seemed to be content for the moment, it should be okay… Judging from the soft light he could see through his eyelids, though, it had been several hours, and not just a few minutes.

All this was in a very distant, easily ignored part of his brain, still operating largely on the most basic of levels as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

A cool hand brushed across his temple, smoothing back the hair which was tickling his face, then briefly caressing his cheek, lingering before pulling back.

Guy was vaguely reminded of his sister's soothing touch and a dozen other little gestures – things which normally hurt to think about, because he couldn't help but recall the end. Half asleep, though, he could allow himself to concentrate only on the good.

That's when he felt it, a light tickling across his exposed sides. He squirmed, unconsciously trying to get away, but still didn't fully wake up. The tickling became more persistent, and even Guy couldn't ignore it any longer. He woke up with a jolt to see Jade leaning over him, tickling unmercifully while Guy shook with laugher and squirmed in his grasp.

It ended as Guy finally squirmed right out of his grasp and fell with a bone-jarring drop onto the floor.

Jade observed him from beside the chair, looking as cool and remote as ever. "Awake, I see."

Guy glared half-heartedly back at the colonel, still breathing too hard to give it a good effort. "C-couldn't you… think of a… different… way to wake me up?"

Jade seemed to ponder for a moment. "I suppose so… but I doubt you would have liked them any better."

"Ugh…" Guy muttered, dropping his head to his hand. The adrenaline from the tickle-attack had faded, leaving him feeling horribly tired. From the way he felt and the fact that the sun had just cleared the horizon, he'd only been asleep a few hours.

"We've done everything we can," Jade said. "You might as well go home to sleep."

"Mm…" Guy wasn't going to wait to be told twice; his own bed was starting to sound really good. Carefully picking himself up off the floor, he gave a careless wave to Jade and headed for the door.

He stopped when he heard Jade say, "I'll be by at noon to wake you up. Remember, you volunteered to help me with the presentation as well." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jade push his glasses up and an amused expression on his face.

Guy cursed under his breath as he left, wondering again why he'd volunteered for this.


	4. Guy's Night Out

Moments

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, shape or form.

_**4. Guy's Night Out**_

Of the bars in the city, Guy liked to frequent one near the entrance, a place called Fenrir's. It was small and out of the way, with dim lighting and an old feel, as if it had been there for generations, exactly the same. The clientele, both men and women, were largely there to relax off the stress accumulated over the day and rarely made waves, opting to sit talking quietly over beers. The barman doubled as the bouncer, but he rarely had opportunity to act as such; in the year that Guy had been going there, he'd only ever seen one person thrown out.

Guy was halfway through his beer when Jade came in. "Hey," he acknowledged, nodding.

Jade walked over, taking the stool next to him and signaling to the barman for a beer. "You were running errands for Peony today, I believe."

"Less errands than babysitting," Guy said, shaking his head. "Your sister and her husband are in the capital on business. Peony asked me to look after Lyria while they were in meetings."

"Ah, yes. And how is my little niece? She's three months old now, I believe."

"She has an impressive pair of lungs. She also liked my hair – kept on trying to pull it out," Guy acknowledged, wincing for good measure.

Jade gave a low chuckle as he took a sip of his drink. He opened his mouth to retort, but Guy didn't hear, all his attention now on the buxom woman leaning against the counter behind Jade.

Honestly, he was proud of himself; he hadn't run screaming out of the building yet, and he wasn't visibly trembling. His body had begun to sweat and he had to consciously control his breathing so it stayed even instead of panicked little intakes, but it was an improvement over the past.

"Hello," she breathed directly into Jade's ear, voice low and seductive.

Jade turned in his chair, smiling at the woman. "Hello," he said lightly.

She smiled flirtatiously over at Guy as well, batting her eyes. "What, no hello for me?"

Guy smiled through teeth he refused to let chatter. "H-hello."

She pouted at him and moved closer, slithering around Jade's stool to reveal that she was wearing a black dress, skin-tight and form-fitting. "What's wrong? That sure was a cold hello."

Guy stared back wide-eyed, feeling cornered as the old fears pushed through. "S-sorry, but… um… can you not come closer? Please?" he asked, voice beginning to waver. She was close, almost touching, and his instincts were screaming at him to get out of there.

"What?" she gasped, beginning to glare. "How rude! You—"

She reached out to poke him in the chest, and that was it; Guy's nerves snapped. He found himself scrambling backward off the stool and running towards the door at full speed before his brain fully caught up. His panic carried him into the darkness of the back alley next to the bar, where he flopped hard onto the cobbled ground. He let himself lean against the cool stone wall as he panted into the chilly night air, hands shaking.

Distantly, through the retreating fog of fear, he was aware of the door to the bar opening. For just a second, he heard the noise of glasses clinking, wood creaking as people shifted in their chairs, and the quiet murmuring of people. The door shut again, cutting the noise off, and in the gloom, he could hear someone walking slowly in his direction.

"You lasted longer than I thought you would," Jade said.

Guy huffed, turning to glare at the man who stood casually at the mouth of the alley, hands in pockets and head tilted down. He wasn't really mad at Jade; he hadn't expected or wanted Jade to intervene. It was his problem to deal with, and no one else's. But it was frustrating to see Jade, unruffled and unworried, standing there just then. Swallowing back a sharp retort, he said instead, "How come you left?"

Jade sighed, spreading his hands and shaking his head. "She would only tire an old man like me out. Better to go home and get my rest."

Guy couldn't help but give a chuckle. "Somehow, I can't see her tiring you out. If anything, it would be the opposite."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence." He stepped nearer, offering a hand to Guy. Looking bemused, Guy took it and let Jade help pull him to his feet.

Guy stood there awkwardly, wondering what to say next. Normally conversation with Jade was easy; the two of them got along, and they were used to each other's company. But at that moment, with Jade looking so closely at him, he found the words die. Instead, he shifted to his other foot, staring over Jade's shoulder at the pool of light from the nearby streetlamp.

"Let's go. I'll walk you home," Jade said suddenly, voice loud on the otherwise quiet street.

Guy nodded, the tension leaving his shoulders as he fell into stride next to Jade. "You don't have to walk me home; I'll be fine," he said after a moment. His voice was mild, almost inquisitive. He didn't resent Jade's presence, but he was curious why the colonel had chosen to keep him company.

Jade shrugged, his voice teasing. "You might need the moral support if we run into any other women."

The answer, or rather non-answer, took Guy by surprise. He glanced at Jade, and saw the amusement lurking on the older man's face. "I guess that's alright," Guy said finally, chuckling. "Do you want a drink at my place? To make up for not finishing yours at the bar."

Jade smiled, the look hidden by the darkness, and pushed his glasses up. "If you insist."


	5. Flowers

Moments

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, shape or form.

_**5. Flowers**_

Guy was in a world of red and pink and white. Every available space of Jade's office had been covered in peonies… bright, colorful, fluffy peony flowers. There were vases covering Jade's desk, the nearby table, the floor, the chairs… smaller vases, ones with only one or two peonies in them were lined on the bookshelves. Wreaths of peonies hung from the walls, the door, and the sides of the desk.

At first, Guy had been convinced it was some type of prank from the emperor, but that was quickly disabused when out of curiosity and still suspecting Peony, he read some of the cards.

_Peonies for my favorite Colonel. –Koria_

_Thank you for your help! Your fan forever, Yuni_

_Have a great day! Veena_

So it wasn't the emperor's warped sense of humor. Guy shifted on his feet, a hand at his chin. "…But then why…?"

"Is something the matter?" Jade asked from just behind him, voice a low whisper across his ear.

Guy jumped and whirled, coming dangerously close to tipping over a purple vase filled with light pink peonies in the process. He let out an exasperated breath. "Don't do that. If one tipped, it would have taken the rest down, too."

Jade just looked faintly amused. "Well? I don't believe I requested your help today."

Guy shrugged. "Honestly, I was bored. I'm not used to just sitting around all day. So I thought I'd see if there was anything for me to do."

"Hm, I see," Jade said, still much too close and amused sounding. It was disconcerting.

Guy waved an arm toward the ground and the scattered vases. "What are these doing here?"

Jade shrugged, spreading his hands to either side. "It happens every year on my birthday. The peonies started as a little joke of the emperor's. About six years ago, he couldn't be there for my birthday, but he thought I needed some type of Peony to be present, even if it wasn't him. So he sent peony flowers to my office.

"Some of the military personnel saw the flowers coming in, and decided I must love peonies. You can see what it's grown into," Jade said, sighing in a very put-upon manner.

Guy stared at all the flowers. "…Well. What are you going to do with them now?"

"What I do every year," Jade said calmly, picking up a single vase. He plucked off the tag and slipped it into his pocket, then as Guy watched, carried the vase just outside of the room.

Waiting in the hallway were a series of barrels. Jade tossed the flowers into one, dumped the water into the second, and placed the vase in the third. Guy blinked. Somehow, he'd been expecting Jade to do something else… maybe burn the flowers, or use the vases for target practice, or… just, anything other than calmly separating them all.

Jade paused as he passed Guy. "Letting an old man like me do all the work…" He raised his eyebrows. "Young men just aren't very active these days, I suppose."

Guy blushed and hastily grabbed a vase, slipping the card onto a free spot on the desk. "What'll you do with these once they're all separated?"

Jade shrugged. "The vases will be sold, and the flowers thrown out."

Guy paused in process of dumping out the water. "…Could I do something with the flowers instead?"

"Oh? Like what?"

He smiled wryly, rubbing the back of his head. "I'd like to take them to the Yulia Orphanage."

Jade looked surprised for a split second, before the expression was buried. He shrugged carelessly as he placed an empty vase in the last barrel. "If you like."

Guy grinned. "Great! I'll take the flowers over after we're done. The kids will get a real kick out of them." He scooped up another vase and began to place the flowers in the first barrel. Guy stayed silent, expecting Jade would ask how he got involved with an orphanage, but as the minutes passed without a word, he slowly realized the older man wasn't going to.

The flowers were sorted out much more quickly than Guy expected, considering their number. Within half an hour, the entire lot had been emptied into the three barrels. Guy stood awkwardly in front of the flower barrel, wondering for the first time how he was supposed to get it to the orphanage. While the flowers themselves were lightweight, the barrel most definitely was not. He couldn't carry it. Tapping his foot restlessly, he crossed his arms and considered his options.

"I'll have the barrel delivered to the orphanage."

Guy blinked. "Thanks. I was just wondering how I was going to get it there."

"Now then. My birthday presents are taken care of, so I have work to do. If you will excuse me," Jade said, pushing his glasses up his nose as he moved back to his desk.

Nodding, Guy turned and headed to the doorway. Fingers touched the frame, and he found himself looking over his shoulder at the other man. He smiled warmly, knowing that even if Jade was already buried in work, he would somehow see it.

"Happy Birthday, Jade."

Jade never looked up, but Guy thought he saw something like an amused smile cross the man's lips right before Guy shut the door.


	6. Inspection

Moments

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, shape or form.

_**6. Inspection**_

Of all the times to get sick with a cold, on a trip with Jade to inspect the border patrols of Malkuth had to be one of the worst. There was no way to take a day off to recover, so all he could do was keep a wad of handkerchiefs with him and refrain from shaking people's hands whenever possible.

They were between inspections at the moment, and Guy was taking the chance to sit in a small, unused meeting room, blow his nose, and drink as much water as possible to soothe the painful soreness of his throat. It didn't help the way his limbs ached, or ease the pounding in his head, or get rid of the tiredness permeating his body, but at least he felt a little more human.

The click of heels warned him of someone approaching, and he slowly stood up, already dreading the next inspection. He would be glad when the day was done and he could crawl into his military issued bed.

Jade appeared at the doorway. "You may as well sit back down. The next inspection has been delayed."

Guy gave a sigh of relief and flopped back into the chair, unable to manage anything graceful when he was feeling so horrible. "When are we done?"

"Inspections end at five tonight, so four more hours."

…Four hours. Guy wondered if he would last until then.

He needed a distraction and his cold was making his brain feel fuzzy, so he asked a question he would normally never have dared ask, no matter how badly it was bothering him. "…How come you brought me along? Don't you normally make the rounds with a small squad?"

"Why do you think?" was all Jade said, sounding amused.

No simple answer, then, not that Guy had really expected one. Guy began to think out loud. "…I guess I'm something like an assistant now, because I've been helping out so often… That could be why…" he paused. "…Or maybe because I'm a pretty good fighter, and you know how I work. That might be it, too."

"Perhaps."

Guy tried again, his ideas getting more wild. "Maybe Peony had something awful planned for me, and you're saving me from it." He stopped and gave a weak laugh that quickly turned into coughing fit. "…No, you would have encouraged him."

"Your faith in me is overwhelming," Jade said, pushing his glasses up.

Guy ignored that and continued. "Maybe no squads were available, and I was a handy substitute." He paused, then shook his head. "…But no one's on maneuvers right now…"

Jade gave no indication, besides a slight raising of his eyebrows.

Leaning into the back of the chair, head tilted towards the ceiling, Guy said, "Maybe you brought me because you thought I'd be entertaining. Or because my pants are tight."

Jade chuckled softly. "Who knows?" Out of the corner of Guy's vision, he saw Jade look out the doorway and nod to someone that Guy couldn't see. "It appears they're ready."

Rolling his eyes, Guy stood up and followed after the soldier standing a respectful distance away.


	7. Unauthorized Access

Moments

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tales of the Abyss in any way, shape or form.

_**7. Unauthorized Access**_

Creeping into Jade's office in the middle of the night was a new experience for Guy. He had gotten a few odd looks on the way in from the military personnel patrolling the corridors, but they were used to his presence and let him pass without challenge. Guy just hoped they didn't tell Jade about it the next day…

He couldn't worry about it now. Shaking his head, he twisted the door open and entered. The hinges creaked, and Guy paused. When no guards came rushing to arrest him, he quickly shut it behind him and straightened up.

His heart was pounding, all of his senses on alert in the gloom of Jade's office. Only a little light filtered in from the moon outside, casting long shadows over everything.

Guy cursed as he stumbled into something and rubbed his sore toe through his boot, belatedly standing still to allow his eyes time to adjust.

He was going to spar with Jade first thing in the morning, just outside of the city. But earlier in the day, Guy had taken off his sword belt while helping Jade organize things around his office. It didn't occur to Guy to retrieve it… not until he was home, just about to go to bed and attempting to take off a sword belt that wasn't there.

_Where did I leave it?_ He wanted to leave Jade's office as soon as possible. It was uncomfortable creeping through like a thief, but he didn't have a choice if he wanted to be on time to meet Jade.

His eyes were adjusting. Slowly, the shapes of things became apparent. The table was just to the left, Jade's desk and chair to the right, the bookcases against the back wall... and there, propped against the side of the bookcase, he could make out his sword. Heaving a sigh of relief, he started carefully across the room.

The feel of something sharp poking into his back stopped him in his tracks. Suddenly sweating, he didn't dare turn his head to see who it was.

"Really, was such subterfuge necessary? You could have retrieved it in the morning."

Guy let the breath he'd been holding escape and turned around to face the uniformed person standing in the doorway, holding a spear towards him. "Jade…" He blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "I felt silly forgetting my sword here. It seemed easier to come back and get it myself."

"Next time, please have a little consideration for these old bones and wait. The guards notified me of your presence here, and I was obliged to investigate." The spear lowered.

Guy grimaced. "Sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"Well, you may as well get what you came for," Jade said, sighing in a very put-upon way.

Nodding, Guy started again across the room, moving carefully in the dim light. He reached blindly for the bookcase and was relieved when his fingers bumped it. He was less relieved when the jostling caused a precariously placed book to fall and hit him on the head.

Cursing – that had _hurt_ – he picked up the book. It was at least two inches thick and quite heavy. He placed it on a lower bookshelf, so it couldn't hit his head again, and finally felt his hands close over the sword sheath.

Jade was still standing in the doorway when he returned. "Got it," Guy said, smiling.

"Indeed."

Guy found himself being pushed into a chair he didn't know was there, and Jade's hands running through his scalp. He couldn't help but wince as Jade's fingers found the quickly developing bump.

"Hmm… so it hit here," Jade murmured.

"I'm fine," Guy said, embarrassed. It felt odd in a way he didn't want to explore to have Jade's ungloved hands running through his hair.

Jade ignored him and continued his careful examination for several more minutes. Guy resisted the urge to squirm as fingers lightly, expertly ran along his skull. Finally, the colonel pulled away. "You don't appear to have a concussion. Still, perhaps we should cancel tomorrow's training session so you may recover."

Guy quickly shook his head, strangely eager to get away from Jade. "I'm okay, really."

Jade didn't have time to respond before a guard rounded the corner and stopped short, eyeing them warily through the doorway of Jade's office. "Colonel Curtiss, sir, is everything alright?"

"Mm. He was just on his way out."

Guy knew that was his cue. "Yeah, I'm sorry to cause so much trouble. See you tomorrow morning, Jade."

"Tomorrow," Jade said simply, a small, amused smirk curling his lips as he watched Guy swiftly walk back down the hallway.


	8. Just Because

_**8. Just Because**_

Guy leaned against the balcony railing, tuning out the sound of the party in full swing behind him through the closed glass doors, and concentrated on the sights and sounds around him.

Keterburg was truly beautiful at night, light from the moon shining brightly on the crystalline snow covering the landscape. Distantly, he could hear kids on the playground, still determinedly continuing their snowball fight despite the late hour. It was only a matter of time before their parents went out to retrieve them.

Somewhere just beyond the trees surrounding Nephry's mansion, he could make out a pair of figures, huddling together against the cold and giggling to themselves. _A pair of lovers,_ Guy guessed, smiling.

It was quite cold out, his breath visible in the crisp, frozen air, and he knew in a few minutes he would have to go back inside to warm up. But for the moment, he was content where he was.

"I didn't expect to find you out here."

Guy looked over his shoulder at Jade, who stood at the doorway in his usual uniform despite the formal dress clothes of those currently inside the ballroom. "I felt like getting away for a moment." He paused, then asked curiously, "What about you?"

"Mm?" Jade walked up to the railing and gazed out at the clear, cloudless sky and the stars and the moon. "Just because, I suppose."

Guy chuckled. "Just because, huh?"

Jade turned amused eyes to him. "Precisely."

"Well, that's as good a reason as any," Guy said, smiling.

Jade stood next to him, hair blowing in the chilly breeze, while Guy turned back towards the distance, no longer as aware of the need for warmth. The silence that stretched between them was comfortable, that of friends who felt no need to fill the space between them with awkward words.

And as simple and unremarkable as the moment was, Guy suspected he would remember it for the rest of his life.


End file.
